Owner Of Stop & Shop In Merger Talks With Owner Of Food Lion

KOEN VAN WEEL / AFP/Getty Images

A file photo taken on August 1, 2013 shows the logo at the headquarters of Dutch international retailer Ahold in Zaandam. Belgian retailer Delhaize confirmed on May 12, 2015 that it was discussing a possible merger with Ahold. AFP PHOTO / ANP / KOEN VAN WEEL - netherlands out -Koen van Weel/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: 24190110

AMSTERDAM — The operator of the Stop & Shop supermarket chain says it is in merger talks with a Belgian counterpart that runs Food Lion stores.

Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV, which runs both the Stop & Shop and Giant supermarket chains, and the Delhaize Group issued statements Tuesday saying they are in discussions "to explore the opportunity of combining the two companies."

The brief statements say the "preliminary" talks "may or may not result in a future transaction."

Stop & Shop has 394 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Connecticut alone has 91, a spokeswoman said. The Giant chain has 168 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia,

Delhaize, which owns supermarkets throughout Belgium, also operates the Hannaford and Food Lion stores in the eastern United States. Neither chain has a store in Connecticut.

Hannaford has supermarkets in five states: Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Food Lion has stores in 10 states: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Stocks in both companies soared Monday on reports of the talks. By early afternoon Tuesday, Delhaize was trading at 83.70 euros ($94.21) and Ahold was at 18.53 euros ($20.86).